Farmers stage rail protest in Punjab following 'Dilli Chalo' attempts crushed
By Ajay Joseph | First Published Dec 18, 2024, 1:18 PM ISTIt is reportedly said that the farmers are demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) on crops, debt waivers, pensions for farmers and laborers, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Train services across Punjab on Wednesday (December 18) faced disruptions as farmers staged a three-hour-long 'rail roko' protest from 12 pm to 3 pm. Organized by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, the agitation spanned 23 districts, with protesters squatting on railway tracks to press their demands.
It is reportedly said that the farmers are demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) on crops, debt waivers, pensions for farmers and laborers, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
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Visuals widely shared on social media showed farmers arriving at Sunam Railway Station, preparing to block railway tracks. In one instance, a train from Sangrur was halted by the protesters. Scenes from Firozpur revealed farmers raising slogans and squatting on the tracks.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher stated that this protest is an extension of their ongoing agitation that began on February 13, after security forces thwarted farmers' marches to Delhi at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana. Since then, farmers have been camping at these border points. Attempts by a group of 101 farmers to march to Delhi on foot were also repeatedly stopped by Haryana police on December 6, 8, and 14.
Meanwhile, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal confirmed that the unions would not meet the Supreme Court-appointed committee convening in Panchkula on Wednesday. In a letter addressed to former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nawab Singh, who heads the committee, Dallewal cited his health issues and the poor condition of injured farmers at the Shambhu border as reasons for skipping the meeting.
The Supreme Court constituted the committee on September 2 to address farmers' grievances. During a hearing on December 13, the court assured that the panel's recommendations would be shared with all stakeholders before any decisions were made. However, farmer unions remain firm in their stance to not engage with the panel.
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